Pregnancy Workout

So here we are in 2012. I downloaded this workout and I was immediately put off by the bright colors and leotards but I pulled myself forward and continued with the workout. Let me just say this, out of all the workouts I have done, this was more fun than any of them. The jazz sequences and flirty moves not only made me feel energized but excited to continue the workout. While my husband had quite a laugh watching me do some of the moves in this routine I found it not only effective but entertaining as well. I have done at least 5 of her later workout's over the years in which she can be annoyingly peppy, but in this workout she is down to earth, calm and informative. At three months pregnant I have continued to do this workout every day . It gets me sweating, it's toning my muscles and it gives me a laugh. What else could you want from a workout? I would recommend this to anyone who is pregnant or if you are interested in getting some light aerobics and humor. A+

Instructor Comments: Informative, sensitive to normal pregnancy complaints and issues and easy going. My favorite workout from her so far.

Disclaimer: Iím not pregnant, but got this workout to do with my sister, who is amidst her first pregnancy. This is the second preggo video Iíve done with her (and at all) with the first one being Crunch Yoga Mama. This one is definitely dated, with the full body leotards and the high top shoes. But Kathy is brilliant in this! Like others have said, she was professional, knowledgeable, and gave loads of information and instruction. I was really blown away at how much thought was put into this workout. Over 20 years later and itís still accurate and useful. Kathy leads with about five other (obviously pregnant) exercisers in an open set. Each chapter has an introduction in which Kathy gives detailed form pointers.

We mostly just did the aerobic portion (although upon preview, the toning and relaxation portions looked really good) and as a seasoned exerciser Ė Iíd consider myself high intermediate and have been working out consistently for six years Ė I was surprised at how intense it was! It was still doable for my 26 week pregnant sister and I was impressed by how much my heart rate got up. Granted it was the second exercise I did today, but Kathy just didnít let up with all of the arm movements! I had a light sweat going and was having a great (and at times, hilarious) time following along. There were three aerobic tunes and they all had nonstop arm movements. The choreography was very basic and easy to follow without being at all boring or repetitive. I had such a fun time that I might consider doing this for an easy fun day even while not pregnant. I would recommend this and grade it A+.

PS, the pregnancy rap was absolutely hilarious and that alone made the DVD a great purchase.

Instructor Comments: I canít say enough on how professional and detailed Kathy is. She obviously put a lot of careful thought and effort into this workout. Sheís not super excited or over the top like she is in her later workouts!

This was an incredibly informative and helpful workout, way more comprehensive than any other pregnancy workout I've tried. Kathy is informative, caring and very professional. There are no "woo hoos" or anything, and I found this video to be cover all sorts of issues related to pregnancy. She even includes a quick section with wrist work to help with carpal tunnel!

There were also interviews with 3 doctors, and a nice guided relaxation towards the end of the workout. Finally, the post natal section was helpful, giving you a quick outline of exercises to do shortly after birth (kegels, easy stretches), and she cautions you not to do anything high impact until you've received your doctor's clearance.

I was in high intermediate shape before pregnancy, but unlike the previous reviewers, I quickly ended up having to leave work towards the end of the second trimester due to pubis symphysis dysfunction. There was no way I could modify my regular workouts, and most prenatal yoga was off limits because I was scared of stretching too much and causing more pelvic ligament pain.

But I found this entire workout surprisingly easy on my body, including the strength section, and did very little modification. Unlike advanced exercisers, I got a great workout from the aerobic section, and the strength section, which included lunges, was easy to modify. I felt much better after finishing this workout than before. I especially liked the four modifications for ab work; it never occurred to me to modify the typical cat pose by resting my arms on the couch (or on a chair) to take the pressure off my wrists.

Yes, the music is definitely 80s workout instrumental with some guitar riffs that bring to mind shoulder pads and big hair, but the moves are classic low impact, and the tons of arm circles would give Tracy Anderson pause, and the workout follows ACOG guidelines and is still safe to do.

A+.

Instructor Comments:
This is the best of Kathy Smith: professional, articulate, knowledgeable and easy to follow. It was so fun to see the Kathy I first started working out with in 1987 in a new context! And she looked fantastic pregnant! The baby she had in this workout started college recently!

This is the video that got me off the sofa - and when I was four months pregnant, no less! I had tried videos before but NEVER stuck with one more than a few days. I was having a lot of trouble with backache & my midwife suggested mild exercise to see if that would help, so when I saw this video for $1 at a garage sale, I thought "Why not?"

I would like to say that if you are already exercising regularly before pregnancy, this would probably be an easy workout for you. But if you are looking at pregnancy as a time to improve yourself & you've never exercised before, this is perfect. The video is divided up into sections, making it very easy to just do a little bit when you're starting - that really helped me from feeling exhausted & overwhelmed. It starts with a 8 or 9 minute warmup that Kathy says can be done alone - and that's exactly how I did it for months! The first time I did it, my heart rate went WAY over what it should have been, so I would suggest that total beginners drop their arms the first time they do it. Kathy has some very good suggestions for modifying & I've taken advantage of all of them. I made a lot of mistakes - some of her moves, like the trombones in the first aerobics section, are complicated for klutzes like me :) What I did was concentrate on learning the footwork first, then adding the arms after I mastered the feet - this also kept my heart rate from getting too high. I also liked the woman in the purple leotard - she would misstep from time to time, & that always made me feel like I wasn't alone in having a hard time with the steps, so I didn't get frustrated.

I think it did help with my backache & I KNOW it helped with my energy level, so if you've never exercised before & you want to start during pregnancy, check with your doctor & then get this tape!

Instructor Comments: I like Kathy. She explains the moves well enough so I don't get lost (and I get lost easily). Also, she's perky enough that she keeps me awake in the early AM without being so annoying that I can't face her if I'm having a bad day! Even though I haven't really exercised before & started 4 months into my pregnancy, she led you through the safety tips so well that I always felt comfortable - I never felt like I should overdo it.

I agree with Melissa's review of this tape, it is good for beginning or intermediate exercisers or to give you a little boost of energy in your last trimester. However, as an advanced exerciser though, this tape did little for me (because this tape was made back in 1988 though, the ACOG guidelines were stricter than they are now). Another thing that completely turned me off this video was the Prego Shuffle rap song in the middle (or was it the end?) of the aerobic section. GAG! Its worse than the dork dance of Firm IV. Its Kathy and the rest of her pregnant cast dancing around rapping out this song with sunglasses on). It was the worst! I would never have done this in a million years. It would have been better if there would have been a perceived exertion check or heart rate check there instead of this stupid song.

I bought this tape with my first pregnancy and used it very little then, but since I've had two subsequent pregnancies and found that I would rather modify my Cathe or CIA tapes instead of having to tolerate this tape.

Kathy made this beginner/intermediate workout
during her first pregnancy in 1988. Five other exercisers
in mid-to-late pregnancy join her for a 7-minute
warm-up/energizer, 20 minutes of low-impact aerobics,and
20 minutes of muscle toning (minimum muscle maintenance
is more like it--this routine won't build any strength
unless you have never exercised before, period). Two
minutes of stretching, and a 10-minute guided relaxation
segment round out the exercise portion of this tape.
(More on those later)

In addition, Kathy includes segments where three
OB/GYN's answer FAQ's about exercising during and after
pregnancy, though she wisely cautions the viewer that
this is no substitute for personal medical counsel.

I found the warm-up and aerobic routines fun--even on
the days I had morning sickness I could get through them
without getting dizzy or queasy. The music ranges from
energetic light rock to jazz and "big band"
swing--and motivated me to get off the couch and move
even in my last trimester when I was almost too big to do
so! The toning sections were another story. Kathy didn't
exercise along with her troupe-she just walked around and
coached everyone else ("now make sure you keep
straight like Pam's doing"). I mean, BARF! It was
like being in grade school where the gym teacher made you
exercise, but just stood around and counted while you
were out there dying on the floor. Gym-type strength
training isn't exactly my idea of a fun time, but if the
instructor is in there sweating it out with me, then at
least my misery has company! And the routines were
boring. Safe for a pregnant women--as indeed they should
have been--but aren't there some exercises out there that
are more interesting than squatting behind a chair,
pelvic tilts, and the same old boring arm raises (weights
optional)? The cool-down stretch (2 minutes) and the
relaxation were OK--but Kathy's narration of the latter
included terms like "cleansing breaths" and
"imagine the warmth bathing your baby in a warm
glowing light." If you aren't into New Age or
eastern philosophy, it's a little weird. . .

Those concerns aside, I can recommend this one to the
newbie or intermediate woman who just found out she's
pregnant but wants to keep exercising. At its release in
1988, it met the ACOG exercise guidelines, which were
stricter then than they are now. While it didn't
challenge me much in the early months of my pregnancy, it
was just enough during the last half when I did well to
get my feet into my aerobic shoes!